Combined timer and distributer-magneto.



W. E. DOW.

COMBINED TIMER AND DISTRIBUTER MAGNETO.

APPLICATION FILED OO'IKlB, 1909. 991,4;9 Patented May 9, 1911.

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, 4 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE W'LLI1A.RD' E. DOW, OF BRAINTBEE, MASSACHUSETTS.

I citizen of the United States, and resident of" onthe line 41 Fig. 3.

COMBINED TIMER nn .ms'rmnurnn-mnennrof To all whom i i may concern:

Be it known that I. VILLARD E. Dow, a

Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Combined Timers'and Distributer-Magnetos, of which the following descriptiomin connection with the accome panying drawingsvisa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The objects ofmy invention are to facilitate the accuracy and render more compact, simple and durable the governing portion of the mechanism which operates the spark plugs of a gas engine;

I My invention consists in combining with the magneto and its distributer, a timer and interrupter for the battery circuit said timer and interrupter being geared directly to the magneto so that they are necessarily operated in perfect unison therewith, the same magneto distributer acting also as the distributer for the battery system. I combine the said timer with the magneto and magneto distributer.

My invention will be more fully apprehended from the following description .taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. in which I have shown a pre ferred embodiment of the invention. y

In the drawings. Figure 1 is a view thereof in side elevation. parts broken away to show the internal construction; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 Fig. 1: Fig. 8 is a rear view of the adjusting portionof the timer removed from the magneto; .and Fig. I is a horizontal sectional view taken Themagneto 1 may be of any usual or preferred high tension kind, and hence needs no descriptiomand the same remark applies to the distributerflnember 2, which is herein shown as driven by a pinion 3 on the end of the armature frame 4 meshing with a gear 5 fast on the back :side of the distributer member 2. In front of said pinion 3 the magneto is provided with an illterrnpter-and timer for its service, which being the same as usual are not herein shown or described in deta1l.

My invention'resides 111 comblmng with the aforesaid parts the timer (which is ordinarily understood to include the interrupter) of the battery system or otherfsource of energy which is used to operate the spark plug of the engine in connection with the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, .1911.

I Application filed October 18,1909. Serial No. 523,136.

- magneto. In carrying out the invention, as

herein shown, I provide a space or chamber 'back of the magneto 'distributer member 2 and its gear in which I mount said timer and interrupter, the rotary portions of which are secured directly to said distributer member 2 so as to be operated by its gear and in necessary synchro'nism with said distributer member, which accordingly serves as the dis- .tributer member not only for the magneto service but also for the battery service.

Held movably on the front of the back plate or casting dis a timing ring 7 of insulation, in which are embedded conductor blocks or contacts 8, four thereof being he reii1 shown as required for use with a four-cylinder engine), said blocks being connected by a conductor ring 9 which connects by a post 10 with a conductor-l1 to a binding post 12 on the handle '13. The conductor 11 in practice is concealed in the handle, but, for convenience of illustration I have shown. it otherwise in Fig, I. The handle is carried by a collar 14. mounted on a hub 15 extending rearwardly from. the casting 6, said collar being connected rigidly to" the insulation ring 7 to rock the latter, by said post 10 at i limited in movement bv the engagement of projections 18 on the rim of the collar with stop pins 19 on the casting 6. By moving the handle'13 the timing of the spark 'niay be varied, as is well understood.

A contact'arm 20 cotiperates with the timing ring 7 above described as an interrupter, being pivotally mounted upon the gear 5 and provided with a contact roll 21 adapted to revolve in engagement with the inner edge of said timing ring to close the primary circuit of' the battery system each time that it engages 'a contact 8. The opposite end of the arm 20 is held inwardly by a coiled,

spring 22 secured thereto at one end and engaging a socket 23 or other fixed part of the.

gear at its otherend. 'A carbon plunger contact or brush 24: is mounted in this socket and held by a spring yieldingly "forward against the adjacent front face of the casting 6 to ground that end of said'primary circuit. In the. "cover 25 J which incloses the distributer member 2 andis's ec ured to the castmg 6, are usual contacts. or terminals 26 which lead to the respective spark plugs of the engine. with which the magneto operates,

, usual or preferredmanner, a binding post 28 being herein shown as mounted in said cover 25. for receiving a connection 29. and having in its socket 30 a carbon contact or brush 31 held by a spring in contact with the face of the plate 27. The connection 29 is a usual connection, rendered (by a switchnot shown) common to the high tension service of a magneto and to the secondary circuit of the spark coil of the battery service, depending upon the throw of the switch, all

as commonly understood and practiced.

One end of the primary winding of the spark coil of the battery circuit is connected to the binding post 12 in the handle 13, the other end of the coil being connected to the battery, whose opposite end is grounded, all in well known manner- The current from the battery through said primary coil passes from the post 12 through the conductor '11 to the post 10 and conductor ring 9 to which 'the'blocksor contacts 8 are connected, and

when oneof these is engaged by the revolvmg roll 21, the current passes through said r0 1 21 of the interrupter arm 20, gear 5' and brush 24 to ground. This takes place at each contact block S as the roll 21 is car ried rapidly around by the gear 5, and at each said make and break of said primary circuit, the induced current in the secondary circuit is transmitted by the distributer member 2 to the spark plugs through the binding post 28, brush 31, plate 27 and contact 26. If on the other hand it is desired to operate the spark plugs of the engine by the magneto service, the conductor 29 is switched to the magneto circuit and thereafter the distributer member 2 distributes the high tension currentof the magneto to-the spark plugs instead of the high tension cur rent of the battery system.

From the above description, it will be understood that the timer and interrupter T14 for the battery service is driven directly by the armature or armature shaft of the magneto and hence necessarily in proper timed relation to all the movements of the moving parts connected with the magneto, such as the timer, interrupter and distributer member of the magneto, and is operated in direct connection with said distributer member and when in use has its current distributed by the same distributer member. This simplifies the wiring, reduces the expense and complexity of construction, maintenance and operation, brings all these parts into direct operative relation with the-same moving part of themagneto, and eliminates a separate distributer memher for each of the two systems (the battery system and magneto system), besides various other advantages.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is, "T

The combination with a magneto. and its armature shaft, provided with a driving pinion, of a gear wheel meshing with said pinion, a distributer member faston one side of said gear wheel, a spring-held contact lever pivoted on the opposite side of said geair wheel, a timing ring and its contacts mounted on the magneto to cotiperate with said contact lever, and external means for shifting said timing ring.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification,'in the two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLARD E. DOW.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE W. lDow, CARLOTTA NIX.

presence of 

